You May Now Kill the Bride

Gr 7 Up—Two sisters, separated by decades, chafe at their prettier, more popular sisters and covet their love interests. In revenge, they dabble with their family's largely forgotten supernatural powers and deadly consequences ripple across time. In 1923, Ruth-Ann tries not to feel bitter about her "princess perfect" older sister Rebecca, and finds happiness with boyfriend Peter. When Peter and Rebecca betray her, not even Ruth-Ann understands the extent of the curse unleashed at their Colorado wedding. Fast-forward to modern times and another Fear sister, Harmony, is at the same doomed location for the wedding of her flawless sister Marissa. When Marissa disappears, is it due to Harmony's meddling spells or something worse? Stine's short paragraphs and an increasingly frenetic pace and mood make it a great pick for reluctant readers. Told in four parts, the narrative's repetitive last section may have readers skipping pages to get back to the action. There are echoes of The Shining and plenty of red herrings to keep teens guessing at the outcome. The cover has a retro feel, but the continual equation of the "prettiest" sister as always the "good" one feels anachronistic.